In a ceremony to be held on Sunday, April 24, 2005 at 3 p.m. at the Forest Grove National Guard Armory, 2950 Taylor Way, Forest Grove, OR, Private 1st Class Matthew Braddock will be awarded the Purple Heart. Braddock was serving with the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry (Armor)in Kirkuik, Iraq as part of the 116th Brigade Combat Team. His original unit of assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 162nd Infantry headquartered in Forest Grove, OR.

His citation reads as follows:

PFC Braddock, while participating in combat operation to liberate Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, was injured by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while conducting mounted patrols. Braddock sustained injuries caused by the explosion and subsequent shrapnel. He was treated for his injuries at Forward Operating Base Warrior, transported to Tikrit, then on to Landstuhl Army Medical Center.

He currently is undergoing treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and is home on leave until May 1st. A resident of Vancouver, Wash. Braddock was exployed as a grain inspector prior to this mobilization. He enlisted in the Oregon Army National Guard in July 2003 and was assigned to the Scout Platoon 3-116 Cavalry as a driver for this deployment. Born in Clear Lake, Texas, his main hobby is making models.